the glass slippers come off
by tomato machine
Summary: A hand at her shoulder, the other at her hip, he says, "You want to give them a show right? Don't tell me that was all bravado." Ruby x Sapphire
1. Chapter 1

Act the first: "Why am I here again?"  
Fic Rating: T (Cause I like to curse)  
Pairings/Characters: Ruby x Sapphire, (CAMEOS): Dia x Platina x Pearl, Lt. Surge, (mentions of) Marge  
Summary: At prom night, the glass slippers come off.  
Warnings/Notes: Y'know those AU school shiz fics you keep finding on the net? I wanted to give it a whirl. There is no plot, only prom. I'm thinking: Real short chap fic. (Cause I couldn't work out the kinks.)

.

.

She does a quick once-over then leans close to whisper into his ear," I...I can't feel my toes."

He, raises an eyebrow, laughs.

She scowls, looks away.

The sole reason she has yet hurl him (headfirst) into the punch bowl, is because (curse these heels), he's the only thing keeping her from falling. Also, she was kind of thirsty. But enough of that.

He laughs, "Is that why you're trampling over my feet? Heels hurt, you know."

She glares at him, "Shaddup. Don't make me kick you."

* * *

Twenty-three minutes and an undisclosed number of heel-related injuries later, he can't feel his feet either. He would point this out if he didn't know it would result in even greater grievous bodily harm.

The tempo drops, the lights dim; slow dances were safe(-er), and he makes a mental note to get Wally (the DJ) something nice for his upcoming birthday.

Hands to hips, head at the crook of his neck, she sighs, "Why am I here again?"

"Cause, barbarian, you lost a bet. Oh, and you owe me for helping you out with your Home Economics project." He smiles.

"Hey, don't talk all smug." She narrows her eyes, gestures, " This close- I was this close to getting you to wear that grass-skirt."

In a lilting voice, "_Whatever you say...- _Ouch!_" _he resists the urge to rub at the sore spot, "Did you just make me punch myself?"

"Ya deserved it, sissy-boy." She huffs.

He glowers, " Barbarian."

This happens a lot.

She draws close once more, exhales against his neck. He tries, succeeds, at steadying his pulse. He's gotten better at this.

Lying, he remembers Marge once telling him, is a skill that doubles as an art.

* * *

The silence, the music, the contact: he savors the whole minute and thirteen seconds of bliss. But peace, as we all know, is short-lived.

"Dammit, I can't take this anymore!" She bends down, lift her dress,"Hold this!"

He splutters, ends of her dress in his hand, for a whole five seconds, before he gets her wavelength. Her expression is very serious, struggling to yank off said footwear while hobbling to keep her balance on her still-heeled foot.

Its a very entertaining, somewhat pathetic kind of hobble, and he would point and laugh till his sides hurt, except that she's hobbling around him: occasionally even darting out a hand to prop herself up. That, and he's still holding onto the ends of her dress. To the onlookers, it looks like some kind of weird mating ritual.

With an extra hard yank, it comes off and Sapphire lets out a loud sigh in relief. She wiggles her toes, carelessly tosses the shoe. Ruby resists the urge to gag.

We'd like to think said footwear lands in some dank and dark part of the hall, where it will lie: lonely and forgotten; but sometimes, reality is as cruel as it is hilarious.

The footwear hurtles across the room before smacking Lt Surge right in the middle of his head. And thus, doused in the cup of fruit punch he had on hand, he collapses. His last memory will be of the quesadilla he ate last night night for dinner and for reasons unknown, he will be pestered by this incessant need to purchase some talcum foot-powder.

This goes unnoticed to everyone but Ruby, who had traced the course of the projectile right down to when it made impact. He sighs, kneels down.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, pansy-ass?"

He glares at her, "Preventing another grievous injury. Now quit squirming and raise your left foot."

She complies. The spectators compare this to the age-old tale of the mouse extracting the thorn from the lion's paw.

"Thanks!" She smacks him gratefully on the back, then drags him, by the collar, to the food counter; where she downs the entire bowl of punch, before sighing in content.

She belches, loud and satisfied, then makes for the shrimp cocktail.

"Gross." Ruby fans the air in-front of him, opts to view the festivities instead of scrutinizing her eating habits. It was after-all, an exercise in futility.

Though called the annual school dance, the only ones actually dancing at this point were Diamond, Platina, and Pearl. They make it work somehow, their whole isosceles triangle thing. From lilting laugh to lazy smile to boyish grin.

The only reason people even came to these things were because of the after-party, anyhow. He turns back to matters at hand, where Sapphire was engrossed in clearing the plate of mini-hotdogs.

"You know what? Shoes-" She pauses momentarily, to glare at onlookers, "-are for chumps."

He opens his mouth to rebut- she cramps it full of cream-puffs, "Yes, I'm saying Cinderella was a chump."

He gags.

She pivots on her heel, faces him, "Don't you dare choke-" narrows her eyes, "-cause then I'd be forced to use my knowledge of CPR."

He swallows. Audibly.

* * *

She turns around, props her elbows up on the counter behind her, "Pathetic, ain't it? That our juniors are the only ones who got the guts to dance."

He snorts, " Its different for them, they're BFFs."

"I don't care; I'm sick of it!" She inclines her head, squints, "I'm sick of you too!... Don't even got the guts to ask me out to this thing, gotta go douse it in sleazy tactics and weird bets. I...I would have said yes, you know..."

To be perfectly fair he was just following (some not-so-sage) advice.

"You want a dance? I'll give you a dance! And I'll give them a show too!" She huffs out; thereafter grabbing his hand and making for the dance floor.

* * *

NEXT TIME:

For the first two dances they are a prime example of anything and everything that can go wrong, of how coordination can get so perfectly fucked-up.

They exchange a look. Volumes can be spoken in just one look.

Basically, it goes something like:

"...Who died and made you Queen?"

"You. Now shaddup and listen.


	2. Chapter 2

**Characters/Pairings** : Ruby x Sapphire, (CAMEOS): Red x Yellow, Dia x Platina x Pearl & Volkner, Gold x Crstal(kinda?)  
**Warnings/Notes**: Two to go!

* * *

Life is a song. The fight and the flight and the kill. There is a rhythm to everything. From the way you walk to the way you talk. And we each hold our own, deep, deep down, past the protoplasm and the ligaments. It is a beat we march to and live by and hum in the shower when nobody is listening, even ourselves.

And if two people can match theirs, well, sometimes things can happen.

* * *

For the first two dances they are a prime example of anything and everything that can go wrong, of how coordination can get so perfectly fucked-up.

He misgauges a beat, she trips, and upon trying to steady herself, manages to bang her head on his chin.

They pull away. He rubs his chin, she rubs her head. Both utter a very quiet "Fuck."

The last notes of the song fade out and die.

She steps forward again, "Our rhythm's off." takes his hand,"Listen, Ruby. Dance is just another battlefield."

They exchange a look. Volumes can be spoken in just one look.

Basically, it goes like this:

"...Who died and made you Queen?"

"You. So shaddup and listen." She takes his hand, places it over her heart.

He tries to search her face for answers, but she's shut her eyes.

He wants to pull away, "What_-"_

She holds firm, "_Listen_."

He takes a deep breath, tries to see it in terms of the fight. Like kendo. Like boxing. Like any one of those stupid activities his dad makes him take-up. The advance and the retreat, the attack and the parry.

An exhale: slow and drawling.

Splayed beneath his fingertips, he hears it even through the satiny fabric. The thumping lub-dub, the beat of her heart.

_Match it.  
Keep up with me.  
And don't get left behind._

He sneers, dangerous and sly, there's this glint in his eyes and he's glad she can't see.

_Whatever you say._

He can hear it.

* * *

It starts with a step, then two. With sweaty palms, uneven breathing and erratic heartbeats. It doesn't all just click. Things don't fall into place that easily.

No one said it was going to be easy.

Not that they're complaining.

The music weaves around them, through them; the kind of thrumming beat that beats with their heart, reverberates through their skulls.

She grins. This was her kind of song.

Volkner (light-technician for this event) darts out form behind the stage to grin conspiratorially at the throng of people, and to give a Platina a wave; she breaks into a grin at this. Pearl's eyes narrow. Dia shrugs.

The lights dim around them. The spotlight's on them now. Those engaged in idle banter pause to look at the commotion.

She was never used to this kind of attention and he senses her uneasiness.

A hand at her shoulder, the other at her hip, he says, "You want to give them a show right? Don't tell me that was all bravado."

The red glint of his eyes say, "Wavering already? Eyes on me, not the audience."

She smirks, tips of her fangs bared. Ah. There was the asshole she always knew.

The tempo rises. They step up to match the beat. He takes the lead, she follows, and they begin, weaving across the dance floor, eliciting widened eyes, and otherwise just outright gaping from the students who keep to themselves in some corner of the room. Half the day ago they were at each others throats, and now this. Someone must have spiked the punch.

Neither pays it much heed though. Okay, except for maybe Ruby. Narcissist.

After a round, they return once more to the centre of the hall.

A twirl, a dip, then a smirk against her lips, she blushes, glares, "That was low, real low!"

"Tut-tut. A show remember?" he sneers.

Fine. She'll play his game.

When he brings her up again, she makes it a point to draw herself up so their noses are barely touching and their lips are an inch apart.

Inwardly, she does a victory dance when he gulps, outwardly, she just grins triumphantly.

* * *

This is how it goes for another song or so, thereafter, they manage to slip out without garnering the attention of the crowd; now too engrossed in their own dance.

Sometimes, a spark plug is needed to catalyze the really interesting reactions.

He collapses at the foot of the stage, while Sapphire lifts herself onto it, before plopping down, legs dangling over the edge.

"That wasn't half bad a show." She punches him from the top of the stage and guffaws, "You're alright, sissy-boy."

She's swinging her legs back and forth, they brush past his ear, he rubs at the spot, "I wish you'd stop doing that. But yeah, not too shabby yourself, wild-girl."

They busy themselves with watching the festivities unfolding before them. Even Volkner's joined in on the fun. In fact, the only one still manning his station was Wally. Poor kid.

They wave at him, he smiles widely in response.

Ruby looks up, blinks twice, then frowns, "Your legs are bleeding."

"And?" She gives him a look, laughs, "C'mon, don't tell me blood makes you squeamish."

Gaze shadowed, voice low. "Its not that, Sapphire. Shit, even your dress is bloody."

"Sorry about this." He stands up.

"What are you spewing? There's nothing to be sorry abou- Hey! What do you think you're doing?" She yells in indignation, " This isn't funny, Ruby! People are looking at us!"

"That's never stopped you before." He shifts her position to ease the weight on his shoulder.

"This is different, dammit! Put me down." She's struggling in his grasp, kicking wildly and pounding on his back; she refrains from biting, but that is the only leeway she will grant him.

He sighs, "Quit making such a fuss. You're only making this more difficult. Besides, Red sempai does it all the time."

"You-You're not Red sempai, and I'm not Yellow sempai. And dammit, there's no criminal organization taking over the world this time! Let me down!"

She continues to buck wildly, pausing only momentarily to wave, enthusiastically, at her friends. Yellow blushes a beet red at the sight of the entire spectacle. Blue makes it all the more worse, grinning maddeningly wide at Sapphire, before casually stating that Yellow had nothing to be bashful about at all, seeing as Red did the same thing for her.

Only bridal style and shirtless.

Twice.

Yellow was a lucky girl.

"After taking in all those perfectly acceptable reasons, no. Besides, didn't it turn out to be Silver's dad in the end?"

"That's true, and we did manage to ...Wait a minute! You're trying to distract me, aren't cha!"

"...Did it work?"

"NO! LET. ME. DOWN."

For Ruby on the other hand, the reception he gets is a tad different. Gold gives him a thumbs-up, Green shoots him a disapproving look while Silver raises an eyebrow.

Red just smiles.

He gives all four a lazy salute before exiting.

(Gold is the only one who returns the gesture. And he keeps it up, waggling his eyebrows and all, until Crys smacks him with a school yearbook she just happened to have on hand.)

* * *

NEXT TIME:

"You could at least _try _to show some gratitude."

She scoffs, "Who would? I didn't even ask for your help!"

He dabs at her sole with some white gauze, she doesn't bother suppressing a ticklish snigger, "You never change."

She sticks out a tongue, "Same to you."

_"Barbarian."_

_"Sissy-boy!"_

* * *

I tend to talk too much... so let's keep it short this time.  
Thanks for reading, people! :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Characters/Pairings** : Ruby x Sapphire, (CAMEOS): Wes x Rui, Gold x Crstal(kinda?)  
**Warnings/Notes**: Those unfamiliar with Wes and Rui should check out Pkmn Colosseum!

* * *

There isn't really a classical side of love.

Romance, maybe.

(Candlelight dinners by the bay, grand declarations scrawled by a jet in the sky, serenades outside one's balcony. )

Love? No. It's too timeless for that.

Perfection is achievable. Because it's up to us to decide on what it is.

* * *

"Ruby, you prissy bastard! Where the hell are you taking me?"

Ruby turns a deaf ear to her, and takes instead to humming a tune to the looney toon's 'kill the rabbit' as he passes a corner, and steps into one of their school's long, winding corridors.

"This is a tapestry!"

He coughs into his palm, "A travesty, you mean."

"Oh whatever. It's still an outrage!"

When it occurs to him that Sapphire is obstinately determined to be as squirmy and passive-aggressive as she can be, he caves and deigns a reply, "If you must know, we're heading to my locker. I have some bandages and antiseptic to patch up those nasty cuts and bruises."

"Argh!"

Sapphire leans over his shoulder, grabs his cheek and jerks it purposefully so they're staring each other in the eye.

"I keep telling you I'm alright! They're just a few scratches!"

Ruby meets her glare head on as he retorts, leaning in to such an extent that their noses crash at an angle, "No, damn it you're not. You're bleeding and I'm going to haul your pigheaded ass to get your wounds treated whether you like it or-"

Suddenly, there's the sound of a click, followed by a blinding flash.

Ruby blinks.

Sapphire blinks.

In record time, they both swivel their heads in the direction of the light to catch a flash of another sort, as Rui shoots them a cheeky grin. Round her neck's slung a polaroid camera.

"Heya juniors. Up to something interesting, hm?" She pulls the picture out of the camera, waves it in the air for a bit, then presents it to them.

They gape at her like fish choking on dry land.

She takes the opportunity to snap another photograph.

"This'll be going in the next yearbook! Don't worry, I'll make sure you two get a copy."

Rui takes their silence to mean approval and continues to talk. Arguably, this pavlovian reflex can be blamed upon the company she chooses to keep.

"Aren't you guys photogenic?"

_Damn you polaroids cameras_, they think. _Damn you all to hell._

The camera's lone eye only stares innocently back at them, while the cheery rainbow stripe running down its center seems to subtly mock their predicament.

She waves the photos in front of them once more, and when Ruby recovers enough to try and make a grab for them, he finds the photos are already gone and in the hands of another.

Wes steps out of the shadows with the photos in one hand, with the other, he casually flicks Rui's forehead.

Rui blinks and swats him on his back "Don't do that, Wes. You startled me!"

Where the hell did he come from, Ruby thinks, meeting their new arrival's amber gaze with a glare. He responds with a wry shadow of a smirk, before he starts to walk away.

He waves the photographs over his shoulder to signal her to follow, "Enough toying with them. It's done. Let's go."

"Sorry guys." She gives them a sheepish grin this time as she walks away, pats them on their head for good measure, "Have fun, alright?"

And just like that, they're gone.

Sapphire let's out an impressed whistle, "So how'd you think he-?"

Ruby cuts in before she can finish her sentence. "What the hell."

"You're just pissed he one-upped you." Sapphire points out, knowing it hit the mark.

Ruby harrumphs and spends the rest of the journey in quiet contemplation (sulking).

* * *

When they finally reach his locker, he sets her down on a conveniently placed wooden bench, and gets to work rummaging through his locker.

She draws her legs up to her chest and takes to watching him to pass the time, cataloging the items he chucks behind him. A kendo sword, a baseball helmet, a soccer ball, a welding mask, a hockey stick; all make up some of the notable items.

How the hell did he manage to cram in all that junk in the first place, Sapphire wonders. Must be some prissy, anal filing ability.

Honestly, Sapphire believes Ruby's beat-up, rusty locker a gateway to another dimension. To this freaky, inanimate, manly place which stores all the butch stuff his dad gave him or made him take up.

Eventually, he comes back with a leather bag.

She gives him an appraising look, "That your guy-purse?"

He gapes, slaps a palm to his forehead. "For pete's sake. It's a satchel bag, alright?"

She rolls her eyes, "Call it what you want."

He sits on the bench, retrieves the medical supplies and raises his palm in a signal for her to move her leg.

"You could at least _try _to show some gratitude." He applies some rubbing alcohol to the gauze, squeezing the bottle a little tighter than necessary.

She scoffs, "Who would? I didn't even ask for your help!"

He dabs at her sole with some white gauze, she doesn't bother suppressing a ticklish snigger, "You never change."

She sticks out a tongue, "Same to you."

"Barbarian."

"Sissy-boy!"

The silence hangs over them, not exactly uncomfortable, but a barrier between them nonetheless. Eventually, she breaks the quiet with a curious query.

"Hey Ruby, why're we always like this?"

They've been through too much for him to pin the blame down on a single event.

He clucks his tongue, says what comes to mind. "I don't know. Extenuating circumstances?"

"Hmm."

She's not quite sure she knows what that means exactly, but she has an inkling.

After a bit, she throws in her two cents, "I always figured it was just…cause you're you and I'm me, y'know? Bound to happen."

"So, we're the like poles of a magnet, then?" He concludes eventually.

_Yeah, but the funny thing is, we couldn't be more different. _She bites her lower lip, wonders whether or not she should mention the next part.

"Ruby, that time….why didn't you fight back? I've seen you fight. You could've….You could've wiped the floor with them, you could have won!"

They had him cornered there in the courtyard during recess like an animal. Six to one, where was the fairness in that?

_It pisses me off. Why did you just stand there? Why didn't you do anything?_

_His eyes darken, but he continues tending to her wounds, dabs some anti-septic onto the gauze, ready to apply it._

"I didn't need to, Sapphire. I don't need to validate myself to said it yourself, right? You are who you are. I am who I am. "

_I hate fighting. I don't fight meaningless battles._

Everyone else had just stood there gawking or went about as if this was nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, some were taking out bets.

Because it is generally frowned upon that Ruby knows how to cross-stitch better than a good deal of grandmothers, because of Ruby's eye for aesthetics. And quite possibly, because he's the (youngest) president of the sewing club, while somehow, miraculously also a member of the baseball, kendo, soccer clubs as well as the welding association.

Sapphire on the other hand, had walked right up to their de facto leader - the biggest of them, with the baddest breath and the lowest IQ- and unceremoniously dumped her tray on top of his head, before jumping into the fray, kicking and biting. It had been Natto monday, believe me, the sight wasn't pretty.

All bets were off.

He hasn't stopped tending to her wounds, which sting where the anti-septic makes contact with it, but she pays it no mind.

"Why are you so-" She waves her hands about wildly in exasperation, trying and ultimately failing to come up with an appropriately infuriating noun ''- Ugh! "

"Ugh?"

"Yeah, Ugh! You make me sick," she punctuates each word with a jab to his chest.

_Do you know how it feels? To watch them call you names and beat you up like a punching bag? _

"You! You pussy!''

He had only fought back when it became apparent that the thugs were not beyond punching (or attempting to punch) girls in their gut. And bruised, bloody but victorious, they were marched up to the principal's office for the most grueling (to date) tongue lashing of their lives.

"And….and you-"

Something clenches in her chest and constricts. She hates it.

"I know you're not suffering from unexplained sudden amnesia!"

Sapphire did, indeed, do her research. For one thing, Ruby was too young. The only two documented sufferers of unexplained, sudden amnesia were old codgers suffering from Alzheimer Disease.

Big, fat tears start rolling down her face. And that's it right there. The straw that broke the camel's back. The big enchilada.

Ruby has his hands up in mock surrender.

_What just happened? Why in the world are you the one crying? _He thinks._ I'm the one being confronted and insulted here! Fuck, was the punch spiked or something?_

He panics, rifles through his mental archive of logic matrixes, the tactical warfare training his dad forcefully crammed into his head, and even the shoddy - and at times ridiculous - advice given by his friends and '_mentors'_.

He learnt the hard way the first three days into his romantic endeavor to never, ever listen to Gold when it comes to advice on love. Because Gold was a god - or at least a demigod- at scoring booty, just not when it got all touchy-feely.

He remembers an impromptu lecture by Marge.

That no matter how much intel you've gathered, things will happen. Crazy, unexplained, ridiculous things you've never taken into account, never factored in at all. So improvise, and when all else fails, go with your gut.

Agile fingers, honed through years of cross-stitching, turn clumsy and awkward as they cup her face; As the rough pad of a thumb wipes away her tears. His palm traces down the contours of her face, lifts it up. Her entire frame quivers with each sob hiccuped and he sucks in a breath.

_It's alright,_ he wants to tell her, his hands are shaking too.

He leans in and sees - or thinks he sees -the trepidation in her wide-eyed stare, the uncertainty, the dread. And so he makes a gambit, decides to pull a feint, to spare the deer caught in the headlights.

In essence, this translates to Ruby doing a one-handed rummage through his bag and shoving the first thing he comes across in her face. Which just so happens to be an individually wrapped, giant chocolate chip cookie from the school cafeteria. Not the icky raisin or oatmeal kind. Cause those were just gross.

Sapphire blinks. One, twice, three times, Ruby counts in all. Beads of sweat starts to form on his forehead.

His mind is a whirlwind of thoughts, the two most prominent being: _Oh fuck, I messed up, didn't I? _and …Did I make her….short-circuit or something?

Sapphire remembers their first encounter way, way back, or at least she thinks she does. In the mind of a 15 year old, 8 years are akin to eons. If asked to describe that boy all those years ago, all that comes to mind is a fuzzy-faced specter, but if she concentrates, she can still place the firm grip of his palm, the cadence of his voice. She will forever remember the half-eaten snickers bar he whips out of his pocket, a makeshift olive branch that works just as well.

_No, you're not him anymore. And I'm not her, but it's okay. Cause this is at a different time, and a different place. And maybe it's better this way._

She remembers. And it's all good.

She laughs, she laughs - so hard she might be crying again - and she takes a bite.

And when she swallows - managing somehow to miraculously not choke - she grabs him by his red tie and pulls him in for a kiss.

In that moment, the world narrowed down to a pinpoint. It was just them, just this.

And you know what?

Salt and chocolate chip cookies, they don't taste half bad.

_Llfe is funny, I like you more than I've ever liked him._

* * *

EXTRA:

After Sapphire's patched up, they're en route to the after-party. Ruby's still has her hoisted up. His stubborn tenacity is matched by few.

"Oh shit."

"What now? "

"I…I gotta take a piss."

"…. … …"

"Sapphire, the nearest toilet is halfway across the school!"

Sapphire fidgets uncomfortably.

If looks could kill, Sapphire would be seven foot underground.

Eventually, Ruby heaves a great sigh then does a turnabout,"Nggh, fine."

Watching the proceedings from the other end of the corridor, Gold does his best impersonation of a cracking whip, coupled with hand-actions and the most damning amused expression.

Fwa-cha.  
Whipped.

And Crystal rises to chastise, but giggles nontheless.

"...Did I hear something?" Ruby raises his shoulder to brush an ear.

Sapphire coughs.

"No. No you did not."

* * *

Merry X'mas! And sorry, for the long wait! Thought I'd surprise those of you waiting for an update. I actually forgot all about my FF account until I stumbled upon the fuckyeahpokevillains tumblr and laughed at a screenshot of Giovanni frolicking in the sand with a Gible for a good... 10 minutes.

Interested in an epilogue? Where random things happen to not so random people. And footwear come off even more so!


End file.
